Via @designboom, a single-storey house encircling a compact interior courtyard, in rural Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, blends with the surrounding fields and low-lying structures.

Ample use of floor-to-ceiling glazing opens up the home to the outdoors, while "exposed roof columns in untreated wood lends a natural atmosphere to the white-washed interior." More at Naoi Architecture & Design Office. Photos: Hiroshi Ueda.